Hillary Rodham Clinton

Their battle for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination has taken over the news, but we're going back to their college days for this photo finish.

Born in 1947, Hillary Clinton is a product of the baby boom generation through and through... right down to her obligatory hippie phase in the late 1960s.

While he missed out on that part of American history, Barack Obama (born 1961) was still one cool customer when he enrolled at Columbia University.

My, how these youngans have grown up ...

In Saturday's South Carolina primary, Obama defeated Clinton in a rout that may only be surpassed by Tom Brady and the Patriots in next Sunday's Super Bowl. Obama won 55 percent of the vote to Hillary's 27 percent.

The next big date on the primary calendar for these co-frontrunners is February 5, a.k.a. Super Tuesday, when more than 20 states vote.

Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler. Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. These famous squabbling celebs have nothing on a new pair of high-profile Americans competing for the nation's highest office!

During last night's Democratic debate in South Carolina, rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sparred frequently and bitterly, making viewers entertained but uncomfortable, and leaving John Edwards trying to get a word in edgewise.

Some highlights ...

Follow the jump for another clip from last night, in which Barack Obama takes issue with remarks made by Clinton ... and by the other Clinton.

She may not have turned on the water works on the Tyra Banks show this week, but Hillary Clinton did stump for the sympathy of woman everywhere by discussing her contrived marriage in public.

The presidential hopeful was asked about forgiving husband Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky and she replied as though it was an isolated incident in an otherwise perfect union.

"I really had to dig down deep and think hard about what was right for me, what was right for my family," Clinton said in her taped appearance, set to air Friday. "I never doubted Bill's love for me ever, and I never doubted my faith and my commitment to our daughter and our extended family."

Or her political aspirations, of course.

Clinton added that she struggled with feelings of anger and embarrassment.

"The momentary feelings â€" you know, you are mad, you are really upset, you are disappointed â€" all of that goes through your mind …" Clinton said. "I have found you really shouldn't make decisions in the heat of those moments."

Instead, you should plan for them in detail, such as the fake sudden outburst of emotion Hillary displayed before the critical New Hampshire primary last week.

We welcome you, celebrity news fans around the world, to The Hollywood Gossip Caption Contest. This week's winner: lucy lesbian. Congratulations!

The winning reply appears below the pic. Scroll down the page to read the full list of (hilarious) captions we received. Please come back and play every week!

Oh look, there's someone Bill hasn't f***ed.

Maybe breaking down in tears wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton shook off doubts that her campaign was on the verge of collapse by pulling out a somewhat surprising, narrow win over Barack Obama in yesterday's New Hampshire primary.

Not to worry, though. Hillary Clinton is still insane. See below.

  "OMG!!!! We won!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

With her poll numbers slipping and Barack Obama surging, Hillary Clinton became extremely emotional during a campaign stop in New Hampshire.

We're not calling it a Britney Spears-style meltdown or anything, but the usually unflappable Hillary definitely breaks down a little in this clip...

Hillary Clinton finished a disappointing third in the Iowa caucus to Barack Obama and John Edwards. The New Hampshire primary is tomorrow. Is her candidacy doomed? On life support? Or poised for a comeback? What do you think?

We know who's leading in the polls (or at least we did, two hours ago when we last checked), but which presidential candidates dominate the celebrity gossip world? Who would be the next president if online searches were votes?

In a race that mirrors recent Iowa and New Hampshire polling data, Barack Obama has narrowly edged out fellow Democratic senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as the top-searched presidential hopeful of 2007 across the Internets.

Obama's slight victory over Hillary Clinton may be thanks to a relative unknown status at the beginning of the year, as well as his huge support from many females - ranging from hot and nude (Amber Lee Ettinger) to all-powerful (Oprah).

If celebrity and online buzz were votes, Barack Obama would be president!

Ron Paul (R) came from nowhere to claim the #3 spot. While his numbers are about half of Clinton and Obama for the year, he took a web lead in November.

John Edwards (D) didn't lag too far behind at #4, while Fred Thompson's late entry, TV credentials and spouse helped his online attention surge above his fellow GOPers Mitt Romney (R), Rudy Giuliani (R) and John McCain at #5.

Expect the candidates' celebrity gossip buzz to change in 2008 - as searches already have for Mike Huckabee (R), thanks in part to a new sidekick.

The Top Searched Presidential Candidates in 2007:

1. Barack Obama (D)
2. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
3. Ron Paul (R)
4. John Edwards (D)
5. Fred Thompson (R)
6. Mitt Romney (R)
7. John McCain (R)
8. Rudy Giuliani (R)

Saturday Night Live relentlessly chides Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), but this weekend, the show allowed Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), her principal competition for the Democratic presidential nomination, to join in the mockery.

The NBC comedy institution portrayed Mrs. Clinton as a bride at a Halloween party with Bill Clinton and the other Democratic candidates. All the candidates were lampooned except Barack Obama, much to the dismay of his rivals' campaigns.

It was reported earlier in the week that the show was scrambling to find someone to play Barack Obama - only to settle for a cameo by Barack Obama himself.

The Obama campaign said it was allowed to tweak the script, but the extent to which that happened was not clear. A spokesman for the show said Obama "had as much input as any guest or host would have, but it was written by us, not them."

The spokesman said that Barack Obama also declined to do a prepared sketch about the fact that he and Vice President Dick Cheney are cousins.

The show's host was Brian Williams, anchor of the NBC Nightly News, and there was discussion prior to the show about whether that would compromise his integrity.

But the post-show coverage has centered on Barack Obama, whose SNL appearance was a total surprise and drew enormous applause from the studio audience.

In the opening skit, Bill and Hillary Clinton, played by Darrell Hammond and Amy Poehler, were holding a Halloween party (and bickering constantly).

As Mr. Clinton, Hammond was dressed up as Mystery, from the VH1 reality TV show "The Pickup Artist." As Mrs. Clinton, Amy Poehler wore a white bridal gown, but other characters called it a witch's outfit.

"Nice to see you, Barack," Sen. Clinton said. "So, you dressed as yourself?"

"You know, Hillary, I have nothing to hide," Obama replied. "I enjoy being myself. I'm not going to change who I am just because it's Halloween."

She replied through clenched teeth, "That's, that's great."

With a smile, Obama told her, "And may I say, you make a lovely bride."

Whereupon Hammond, as Bill Clinton, quipped, "She's a witch."

Barack Obama then introduced the show, with the trademark "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" He did not appear again.

Fresh off her resounding defeat of Heidi Montag in The Hollywood Gossip's Tale of the Tape, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is setting out in search of something almost as impressive - a victory in the 2008 presidential election.

Whether she can win that battle has yet to be determined, but at least Hill has picked up the key endorsement of an unlikely supporter - 50 Cent.

That's right, politics and pop culture have collided in a major way as rapper and former drug dealer 50 Cent - a man who probably was happy to see tougher gun laws passed during the Clinton administration (having been shot nine times) - weighs in on the race for the White House.

Here's what Fiddy told MTV News in a recent interview regarding his candidate of choice, Hillary Rodham Clinton:

"I'd like to see Hillary Clinton be president. It would be nice to see a woman be the actual president and ... this is a way for us to have Bill Clinton be president again, as he did a great job during his term."

Fortunately, in his statement supporting the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, 50 kept things positive and did not say he would off any Barack Obama supporters.

While Hillary is surely pleased with the psuedo-endorsement, she might take it with a grain of salt. After all, there are still 14 months to go before the election and so much can happen between now and then.

For example, if Lauren Conrad were to suddenly throw her (chic, designer) hat into the ring, you never know how the California girl would poll in key states.

The Hollywood Gossip staff is proud to bring you Tale of the Tape, in which we break down prospective matchups within the celebrity world you probably never considered. Because they are pointless, and above all, not real.

The Hills' Spencer Pratt, who's taking political science classes at USC, says: "I'm gonna run for governor. If Arnold Schwarzenegger can be governor of California, then Spencer Pratt can be the governor of California. [Heidi Montag] would be a great first lady!"

Delusions of grandeur? Let's see how Heidi Montag stacks up against a former first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a 10-round bout. Ding, ding!

1. RESIDENCE

Heidi Montag: Hollywood, California
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Chappaqua, New York
Edge: Hillary

2. EXPERIENCE

Heidi Montag: Former student at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (dropped out), intern at Bolthouse Productions.
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Holds degrees from Wellesley College and Yale Law School, served two terms as First Lady, in second term in U.S. Senate
Edge: Hillary

3. FAVORITE CLUBS

Heidi Montag: Area, Hyde, Les Deux
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Senate Judiciary Committee
Edge: Hillary

4. CAREER ASPIRATIONS

Heidi Montag: Becoming U.S. President
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Singing, acting
Edge: Even

5. HATERS' AMMO

Heidi Montag: New fake boobs, Spencer Pratt, really annoying voice
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Flip-flopping, carpetbagging, abrasive personality
Edge: Heidi

6. LOVES TO BITCH OUT ...

Heidi Montag: Lauren Conrad
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Conservatives
Edge: Hillary

7. SCANDALS LINKED TO

Heidi Montag: Lauren Conrad sex tape
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Whitewater
Edge: Heidi

8. RIGHT HAND MAN SUCKS ...

Heidi Montag: At everything
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Cigars
Edge: Hillary

9. OBAMA IS ...

Heidi Montag: A good way to describe her future music career
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Her chief competition
Edge: Hillary

10. PLANS FOR IRAQ

Heidi Montag: Paying a plastic surgeon to enhance hers
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Phased withdrawal of the troops
Edge: Hillary

THE VERDICT: Hillary steamrolls Heidi, 7.5-2.5, en rote to securing the Democratic nomination. Or at least Hollywood Gossip glory on this day.